How Chad Bowden and the Notre Dame football recruiting machine keep making connections

SOUTH BEND — Notre Dame football’s recent victory over national champion Michigan in a tug-of-war for recruiting director Chad Bowden was especially good news for Micah Gilbert.

The early enrollee from Charlotte (N.C.) Christian smiled last week when asked for his favorite recruiting story about Bowden, Marcus Freeman’s highly regarded wingman who helped the Irish corral the four-star wideout and his high school teammate, five-star defensive end Bryce Young.

“Me and Bryce, we had a little thing,” Gilbert said in advance of Wednesday’s National Signing Day, a formality for Notre Dame after its Dec. 20 haul at the early signing date. “Chad was supposed to jump in the lake when me and Bryce committed.”

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That classic Bowden deal-sweetener was promised nine months ago when the talented tandem from North Carolina committed in the days just after the Blue-Gold Game.

“We’re still going to try to get him,” Gilbert said. “We should have done it when it was cold.”

Rather than march directly out to one of two on-campus lakes, St. Joseph’s or St. Mary’s, the trio has turned the unpaid debt into a long-running conversation. With Bowden, who followed Freeman from Cincinnati in 2021 and was promoted to his current role in early 2022, the communication never stops.

“Chad is amazing at his job,” Gilbert said. “We all have great relationships with Chad. He truly cares for us. It’s not just the ‘we got here, and Chad’s gone.’ No, we still talk to Chad. We know he cares for us.”

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/chad-bowden-notre-dame-football-181830478.html

Author : South Bend Tribune

Publish date : 2024-02-06 18:18:30

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